Getting to Know You
by Nozomu of the Dream
Summary: The remaining members of the SPK are killed by Kira, Near is saved but he needs help. Mello is the only one they can count on, but is he willing? Set after Gevanni starts tailing Mikami but before the Yellow Box meeting is arranged. MelloxNear
1. Prologue

I've had this idea for weeks. After rereading the Death Note manga and being (once again) frustrated at the fact that Mello and Matt die in the end, I turned to fanfiction hoping someone would have written a story where they beat Kira without them dying.

I found many amazing stories, but none quite like that. So here's my take on it.

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><p>Gevanni had been careless. He was not certain of when Kira got his face, maybe he'd always know it but hadn't cared to use it until then. What mattered was that he found himself marching towards the SPK headquarters against his will, a newly bought cell phone with camera in hand.<p>

He wondered when his name was written, he hadn't felt anything different until today, when he woke up at 2 am and made a beeline towards the telephone and dialed a number he didn't recognize. In his sleepiness he didn't really try to stop himself until he realized who had picked up the phone: Kira himself. Not that trying would have done him much good, it seemed that the only thing he had control of were his thoughts and he rather wished he didn't.

Watching himself spill every secret the murderer asked for was pure torture, the only thing he could be glad for was that he didn't know as much as Rester did. He knew enough though, he knew where their headquarters were, he knew of Near's plan to create a fake Notebook, how much Near depended on his team to operate, who he trusted the most, whether he had any more allies.

When he hung up the phone he was almost hoping for a heart attack, at least it would end quickly and he wouldn't cause any more harm. Unfortunately that was too much to ask of Kira, instead he was directed to a department store, where he quickly picked up a cell phone that had a camera in it. His face betrayed none of the despair he felt as he paid for the device.

His body was truly not his anymore.

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><p>Halle was contently watching Near sleep while waiting for Rester to bring his breakfast. The boy had fallen asleep on the floor again and no one had been around last night to pick him up and take him to his bedroom. They figured he'd wake up if they tried to move him at this point so bringing breakfast was probably a better choice.<p>

Near was a genius, but he was young, and he looked and acted even younger. She felt somewhat maternal towards him, often worrying about whether he was eating and sleeping properly, so she often came in early to check on him. Early for Near's standards anyway, he didn't start working until 10 am, which might still be a bit early considering he kept himself awake into the wee hours of the night to think.

A quick glance at the surveillance cameras revealed that Gevanni was coming in. That was odd since he'd usually be tailing Mikami by now, but she didn't make much of it. Rester was coming back with Near's breakfast so she could start waking him up.

They were crouching in front of the half-asleep boy with their backs to the door when it opened. They looked back quickly to greet Gevanni, only to have their pictures taken.

"He's being controlled!" Rester yelled as he covered Near's face with the coat of his suit, hoping Gevanni hadn't got managed to capture it.

Halle picked up her gun and shot as quickly as her nerves would allow her. Shooting a former ally was not something she did often and it always felt awful. She dashed towards the cell phone just in time to see the _'Message sent'_ screen.

"It's too late..." She said, unable to say anything else.

"Run to your room. Keep your face covered. Lock everything. Don't believe anything any of us tells you." Rester instructed Near, even though he knew the boy was smart enough to do that on his own.

Near looked at them with a face that might have been sorrowful before doing as he was told. Halle was a little glad to have been able to see that face, not because she wanted him to be sad, but because it meant that Near cared for them, at least a little.

"I'm sorry." Gevanni whimpered from the floor, he seemed to have some sort of control now.

"It's not your fault, we all knew something like this could happen." Rester replied, kneeling close to the dying man.

"I couldn't get Near's picture." He said with what seemed to be an attempt at a smile.

Halle picked up her cell phone and started typing as quickly as she could, not knowing how long she had to live, or worse: how long she had before she lost control.

"What are you doing?" Rester asked suspiciously.

"Asking for help, we don't know how long the notebook can control us for. For all we know Near could starve before we die."

"May I ask whose?" Rester seemed even more suspicious now.

"Mello's"

It was a bad idea, there was a big chance Mello would just laugh at his rival and ignore the situation altogether. But it was the only thing they could go with so Rester didn't say anything.

Halle sent the message, hoping against hope that Mello would help Near. She felt her chest tighten, Kira had opted to kill her. As she died she watched Rester collect Gevanni's cellphone without sparing a glance at her, she felt guiltily thankful that it was him and not her. Her only regret was not having destroyed the device when they had the chance.

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><p>"Near?"<p>

He heard no reply.

"It's me, Rester."

"No, you _were_ Rester."

That was a good way to put it, his actions were not his anymore. His hand reached for the panel that opened the door. He didn't know the password nor were his voice and retina authorized. He exhaled with relief.

Leaning against the door he felt himself sliding down. Kira was probably going to keep him here until he or Near died from starvation.

...

Hours passed. He tried to move a few times, his body wouldn't obey.

"Near?" He tried, hoping it was really himself talking.

"Are you Rester?" The boy said after a while.

"I'm not sure"

"Then there's a 64% chance that you are." Rester smiled a bit at that.

"You might want to start packing. Halle sent for help."

"Mello?" The question came several seconds later, he was a bit surprised Near had been able to guess, even though he shouldn't be.

"Yes. Do you think he'll come?"

"No, the chance is only 12%."

"Would you trust him?"

"If Mello does come he's not going to want to finish me off himself, Mello would rather watch me lose to Kira."

"I see." With that he heard Near moving around the room, gathering his things most likely, even if he didn't believe Mello would come to help him it was probably better to be ready in case he did. From what Rester had seen the blonde was not a patient person.

Leaving Near in his care would feel almost as bad sitting here waiting for him to die. Almost.

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><p>AN: Please review, this is my first story so feel free to tell me to drop off the face of the earth if you think it sucks, I'd be very thankful if you told me why it sucked though. Thanks for reading.

Mello and Matt will be on the next chapter.


	2. Chapter 1

Thanks for the reviews, I really appreciate them

I changed the title and updated the summary so they'd be closer to what I wanted to say.

Disclaimer: I don't own Death Note

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><p><em>Message from Halle<em>

Mello eyed his phone suspiciously, the message had been sent that morning, but Halle knew he only checked this phone at night. Plus it hadn't been long since she last contacted him, unless the fucking sheep had figured out something new and needed to have it rubbed on his face she wouldn't be contacting him so soon.

_'Kira has our faces. Near's safe, please help him' _was what the message said.

"What the fuck?" This had to be a joke. He tried calling her, but no one would pick it up.

"C'mon bitch, answer the damn phone!"

At the mention of the word 'bitch' Matt looked up from his PSP "Hey, didn't know you had someone like that."

"It's just Halle, idiot."

"She's got a niiice chest"

Mello rolled his eyes, resisting the temptation to throw his phone at the wall, or at Matt...

He opened the Text again, stared at it for a few moments until realization dawned at him: Near had lost. Then he started laughing hysterically. The almighty Near had been utterly defeated by Kira. True, he felt a little bad for Halle, but having worked with the mafia he had to learn that death was just something that happened, if anything you gotta be glad it wasn't you.

Matt walked over to him and snatched the phone looking at the message. His eyes narrowed as he said "Dude, we gotta go help him."

Mello stopped and looked at him incredulously "... you're kidding, right?"

"No. I'm not leaving someone I grew up with at Kira's mercy if I can help it." The redhead was usually laid back, but he had a better sense of justice than most, a consequence of saving the world a bazillion times in his videogames no doubt.

"But it's fucking Near!"

"So? The only thing he ever did was get better grades than you."

"He mocked me!" Mello whined, even knowing that once Matt decided to play hero he wouldn't back down. So much that he came to help Mello after he got himself exploded, despite the fact that it was his own fault and the bunch of people he'd hurt/killed/maimed for the mafia.

"Only in your head, man."

A moment of silence, Mello was debating pointing his gun at his friend's face just to make him go back to the usual Matt from the I-am-justice Matt.

"Whatever, I'm off!" Matt dashed to the door and slammed it behind himself.

Mello just stood there trying to figure out what to do when a slightly out of breath Matt reopened the door with a bit of a goofy grin

"Which way is it again?"

"Fuck it, I'm going with you."

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><p>"We'd better cover our faces" Mello said as they got out of the car.<p>

Mello put his sunglasses and a surgical mask on, Matt only needed the mask since his eyes were never exposed anyway. In times of Kira the fact that Japanese had a habit of wearing masks when they were sick was incredibly convenient, even if wearing sunglasses when it was way past sunset was still suspicious.

There was an odd air about the building. Or maybe it was just that they knew at least three of it's usual occupants were dead. They headed straight to the floor Halle had taken him to when he came to retrieve his picture.

_Dear Mello_

He still wondered about Near had meant by writing that, at first he was convinced the albino was mocking him in a hey-I-knew-you-were-coming sorta way, Matt just thought it was cute that he retrieved the picture from the orphanage before anyone dangerous could do it and wrote something cute in the back. Stupid Matt.

"Drop the fucking DS" The blonde snapped, the sounds were irritatingly loud in such a quiet place.

"The boss is almost dead."

"You're the one that wanted to help that twit, so put it away before I break it."

"Spoilsport." With that he shut the handheld off and put it back in his pocket.

One of the first things they saw upon reaching the floor were Gevanni's and Halle's bodies. Gevanni's in a pool of his own blood and Halle's clutching her cell phone to her chest, whether she had been holding it like that before or after the heart attack they'd never know.

"So, where are we going?" Matt asked, nervously reaching for a cigarette.

"I don't know where Near's hiding, we'll have to look." Mello pulled out his gun just to be safe.

While it was a fairly big place, it was only one floor so it didn't take them long to find the door Rester was sitting against. With the building being as quiet as it was Rester had been aware of their presence for quite a while.

"Mello…" Covered as Mello was, he was still not hard to recognize "I never thought I'd be glad to see you."

"Don't move or I'll blow your brains up."

"Beats being controlled by Kira" Rester didn't joke often, but in this situation what else could he do? He was only half joking anyway.

"Where's Near?" Matt asked, not feeling very comfortable around a Kira controlled person. It didn't seem like Kira was expecting anyone to try to rescue Near so he just sat there obediently waiting for Near to show himself while an irritable blonde held a gun to his head.

"He's in the room behind me; only he can open it though."

Mello eyed the door for a moment before knocking on it. No reply, so he kicked it. A tiny voice was heard.

"Rester?" He sounded like he'd been sleeping, what was he? Five?

"No idiot, Mello. Open this fucking door before I decide to leave you there."

"... Rester has a cell phone with a camera"

"Fine, I'll kill him before you open it."

"NO!" Did Near sound upset? Could it be that the emotionless twit actually gave a damn about this guy?

"Near, I'm going to die sooner or later. My name has already been written" Rester said, having resigned to his fate hours ago, the fact that Mello actually seemed to be there to help was already more than he had dared hope for.

"But..."

"Let's tie him up. They'll be able to say goodbye at least." Matt had a look of pity behind his goggles.

"Whatever! Break the goddamned cell phone while you're at it." The blonde was clearly not happy with the sentimental version of Matt

Rester put up no resistance as they tied him up, maybe it had to do with the gun on his head, or maybe Kira had really neglected to program some defenses into his appointed photographer.

"It's done Near, you can come out now."

A series of beeps could be heard and the door unlocked. Near emerged from the room looking rather apprehensive, a backpack in one hand and a robot in the other, he was otherwise completely normal, white pajamas and all.

"Geeze, must be nice having people giving their lives for you. Everyone dies and there you are, perfect as ever." Mello sneered, resenting Near's perfect, white skin while his was a horrible mess from the fire he had to cause to save himself.

Near was visibly affected by the comment, Mello was about to continue when Matt interrupted.

"Now is not the time Mello, we've got to get out of here."

Mello snorted and looked away.

"Near" Rester started, Near immediately knelt by him "This is not your fault, ok? We gave our lives to catch Kira."

Near nodded, the lone tear streaking down his face was quickly wiped away.

"Catch Kira for us." Rester gave the albino a small peck on his forehead in an uncharacteristic display of affection, which was uncharacteristically accepted.

Near got up and Matt motioned for him to follow, Mello stayed behind.

A loud bang was heard as they reached the elevator. Near shuddered. Matt placed a comforting hand on his shoulder.

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><p>AN:

Mello may have seemed like a heartless bastard for laughing, but really Halle said Near was safe, who knows what he would have done if she said he was in danger.

I realize this is moving a bit slow, but please be patient, there will be a bit more Mello/Near next chapter.

Again, thanks to those who reviewed/faved/put this on alert. You have no idea of how much I appreciate it.

Thanks for reading, please review.


	3. Chapter 2

"Goddammit Matt! Let go of the fucking DS when you're driving!" Mello complained after the redhead narrowly missed a light post.

"No way! I can drive and play and I still don't crash as often as you do."

"Because you drive like a freaking turtle." Mello considered yanking the console out of Matt's hands himself but figured it'd make the driving situation even worse.

"I try to stay within the speed limit" with that his cigarette fell off his mouth and onto his jeans. "GAH! GETITOFF! GETITOFF!"

"Turn the DS off?" The blonde grinned.

"Deal! Now, hurry up dammit." The black spot on his jeans was growing too quickly for him argue.

Mello easily reached for the cigarette and put it out in the car's ash tray. Matt sadly closed his beloved handheld and tossed it on the backseat.

Near dodged the incoming device. It had been interesting to watch how things hadn't changed between those two. It felt nostalgic, like being back at Wammy's, where his greatest worry was hiding from Mello when test results came out. Back when L was alive and Kira didn't exist, when Mello's skin was flawless and Matt never had a reason to let go of his videogames. Back when he didn't remember what losing the only people that ever cared for him felt like.

"Hey, sorry, forgot you were there. Did it hit you?"

"No, it didn't."

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><p>"And this" a dramatic pause as Matt opened the door "is where we live."<p>

The building was located in a rather bad part of the city, but at least the apartment didn't seem to be falling apart. Not that Near was in a position to complain if it were. There were advantages to it too, such as there being so many trouble makers around that Mello probably didn't draw that much attention. Not to mention that there would be fewer Kira supporters among said trouble makers.

What looked like the living room had a pair of arm chairs a small table between them and a TV. Nothing really personal, they probably didn't want it to look like the hideout of someone who was chasing Kira, though the piles of chocolate wrappers were a dead giveaway if you knew who you were looking for.

"There are only two bedrooms, so you're gonna have to share with som-"

"With Matt" Mello interrupted.

"Eh, with me."

Matt's definitely gave it's occupant's identity away, with wires, computer parts and videogames strewn about on the floor, along with a few working computers that were, no doubt, working into hacking some important database. The smell of cigarettes was strongest in there too, but again, he was in no position to complain.

'_Mello's room must smell of chocolate'_ Near thought.

"Luckily there was an extra mattress lying around when we rented this place, it's kinda old but it's better than nothing until we can get you a new one."

"What? We're gonna spend money on the sheep?" Mello argued.

"Dude, it's not like we're lacking money, or the means to obtain more of it."

"Yeah, what happened to 'not spending much so we don't draw attention' shit?"

"Mello, you're just being a brat" The blonde glared at Matt and then at Near before turning around and stomping towards his own room. In spite of his videogame addiction, the redhead was the most mature of the three, Near lacked basic life skills and Mello simply couldn't get over his emotions.

"The bathroom is that way" Matt said pointing somewhere out the door, the place was small enough that it wouldn't be hard to find anyway. "Make yourself at home, you're a heavy sleeper right? Mind if I work during the night?"

"That's not a problem." The day had been too much for the albino, he had been sleep deprived before this whole mess had started, now he was sleep deprived and stressed, Matt's typing couldn't hope to wake him up. He'd never been able to deal with situations going out of control, he always planned carefully and predicted every possible outcome but this one hadn't even crossed his mind somehow. He knew that was his main weakness, once he was out of his protective bubble he was hardly better than a child.

In a way, he wished Mello could see that, maybe then he would accept working together. The boy knew that by working separately they could never be as good a L. If only Mello realized that test scores weren't what made him pick them, and that they were far from the most important aspect of being L.

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><p>Near woke up with a start, taking in his surroundings he realized he wasn't at the SPK headquarters anymore. 'It wasn't a dream…' he thought mournfully. He felt like he'd slept more in the last 24 hours than he had in the past six months, the worn our mattress was incredibly comfortable for someone who was used to falling asleep on the floor on top of his toys.<p>

The door opened and a head of red hair poked through. "Hey, you're awake. I'm going out to get groceries. Want anything specific?"

"Fruits would be nice." Unlike Mello and Matt he didn't have a strong body so he needed to make sure there'd be something other than cigarettes and chocolate in the house. After all the trouble everyone had gone through to keep him alive letting himself get sick and die was not an option.

"Ok!" The redhead smiled "Here's a towel if you wanna shower" he threw it in Near's direction and closed the door again.

'_Yeah, a shower would be good'_ It had been way too long by the albino's standards. He started rummaging through his backpack, finding a set of pajamas and underwear exactly like the ones he was wearing.

"MELLO, I'M GOING OUT NOW. TRY NOT TO KILL NEAR."

"FUCK YOU!" He heard them yell at each other. He shivered at the thought of being alone with Mello, the blonde was scary when Matt wasn't around, so he rushed to the bathroom and locked the door hoping Matt would be back before he was done.

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><p>Great, just great, first Matt makes him bring the sheep home then he leaves to get groceries and takes way too long to come back. Mello was starting to get worried. Matt usually didn't take that long. Though it wasn't that rare that the redhead simply decided to get new games on the way back.<p>

Listening to the bugs in Misa's house was boring as hell without someone to make fun of her with. He could go bug Near, that's what he always did when he was bored back at Wammy's. Without thinking much he got himself a chocolate bar and headed to Matt's room

He found the white figure on the floor sitting in that weird way of his, his back to the door blocking whatever toy he was playing with from his view. His hair was still damp from the shower, his white pajamas were immaculate. The boy looked like a lost lamb in the smoky sea of wires and parts that Matt's room was.

"So, I suppose you're a loser now too." Mello said, referring to Near's reaction to L's death.

"I am not dead yet, in case Mello didn't notice." Near sure felt like a loser, if someone else had asked he might have said something different. But it was Mello, and Near would never admit defeat to him, not because he cared about their competition but because the moment the blonde defeated him he'd lose interest, and the albino wouldn't have that. Scary as he was, Mello was one of the few people that interested him in an intellectual level.

Matt may have been nice and extremely intelligent, but he just didn't care. He'd jump into action anytime, but he'd rather play games that presented no challenge to someone of his level than read extensive files about nearly unsolvable cases.

"I could always fix that." The blonde said with a grin.

"Mello wouldn't." He sounded confident, never letting his fear show.

Mello scowled, Near always said the most irritating things.

"You're right, hiding the corpse would be too much trouble." He looked over Near's shoulder, curious as to what the he was doing. He was making a doll, it seemed like it had just been started so he couldn't tell who it was supposed to be until he noticed the tiny goggles.

"You're making a Matt doll?"

"A finger puppet." Near never answered his questions directly.

Mello walked over to him, avoiding a few game cartridges on the way. He looked at the box that was half open in front if Near, noticing it seemed to contain more of the puppets. Without asking for permission, he grabbed one that was exposed through the opening.

"Is this supposed to be L?" He pointed at the L painted on the puppet's stomach, it didn't look much like L otherwise… it barely looked like it was supposed to be a person. He knew Near was better than that at crafting.

"Yes" Near replied, barely looking up from his current work.

"It's a pretty shitty L."

"I didn't see a reason to waste time on it."

"What the hell? It's fucking L and you call it wasting time?"

"L didn't care for me, I didn't care for L. He was just a loser anyway."

Mello glared, but Near didn't seem to notice it. The blonde looked back at the box, picking up Halle's puppet. It had been carefully sculpted and painted, reminding him of the real one. He could also see Rester's and Gevanni's puppets, they seemed to have same level of detail as Halle's.

"I suppose this means you cared for them."

"…"

"Well, they're dead, so they're losers just like L now."

"… I would appreciate it if Mello didn't talk about them like that." Near was looking down, hiding his face behind his hair.

"Why not? Didn't they get killed by Kira all the same? Or maybe they were special because you 'cared' for them. I bet you even believed they gave a damn about you too, like they weren't just trying to keep their stupid jobs or something." He looked at Near smugly after finishing his speech, certain that his words would have affected the younger boy.

His smug look disappeared as he took in the scene before him: Near's hands were fisted around his Matt puppet and his carving tools. The boy was shaking, holding back sobs. That wasn't what Mello had been going for, he'd always wanted to see the albino feel something, but we was hoping for anger, for screaming, he was familiar with those, he could deal with them. But rather than feeling victorious, that reaction made him feel like a jerk, not that he wasn't one.

So he did something he didn't do often: he ran away, getting up and leaving the scene as quickly as the sea of electronics allowed him.

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><p>AN: Sorry it took me so long to update this, I'll try to get the next chapter out faster

Tell me what you think, thanks for reading.


	4. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I don't own Death Note

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><p>Matt was quite proud of himself, sometime during the mind numbing task of buying food he had the great idea of getting Near some normal clothes and bringing him along next time. Having someone to talk to would be nice, even if Near wasn't the greatest conversationalist ever at least he'd be so lost out in normal people's places that it'd be worth it.<p>

It wasn't that Mello refused to come along, what he did refuse was to wear something less scandalous than those too tight leather pants and middrift. The blonde had always been incredibly vain, the scar only made it worse as he tried to compensate for it.

It always ended badly when Mello tried to do everyday things, someone would mistake him for a hooker or he wouldn't be allowed somewhere for indecency and with the blonde's temper that almost got them trouble with the police a few times. That was the last thing they wanted right now. So Matt would bring cute and quiet Near next time for some, hopefully, trouble free entertainment.

Upon getting to their apartment he found Mello nowhere to be seen, which was odd since he always eagerly awaited the chocolate delivery. Near was hunched on the floor of his bedroom with his toys, nothing out of ordinary.

"Hey, do you know where Mello went?" Not really expecting the blonde to have shared.

"He didn't say." Near had recovered his composure long before, so Matt noticed nothing wrong.

"Well, he can take care of himself. I got you something wanna see it?" The albino turned to face him with wide expectant eyes, probably expecting a puzzle or Legos. He'd be disappointed.

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><p>It was early December and the nights were starting to get really cold, Mello hadn't realized how much time had passed until it started to get dark, he hadn't realized he had forgot his coat until then either. People were starting to eye him strangely because of the way he was dressed. He got up and started heading back, not only was he in no mood to be ogled he didn't want to get sick either. He couldn't afford to be stuck in bed now, he finally had the chance to prove he was better than Near.<p>

A pang of guilt. As a child he tried to make Near cry in every possible way, he could never beat him in grades, so making him cry always seemed like it would be a good enough compensation. Yet he felt horrible for it, maybe he had grown up and making people cry didn't seem right anymore or maybe he'd simply never considered the possibility of succeeding.

Near only ever tried to get away from him when grades came out, when Mello was particularly angry and physical harm was most likely. Other than that he just stood there and watched, he watched when Mello destroyed an entire week's worth of dice buildings, when he broke every single robot he had, when he burnt a few hundred puzzle pieces out of a 3000 piece puzzle. The most he ever got out of that was a "_Does Mello feel better now?_" which only made him angrier so Near never asked again.

He wondered why the albino never let his grades drop, it wasn't a matter of pride, Near never cared to hide his taste for children's toys and his fear of the dark. At Wammy's the children forced themselves to mature quickly so they'd be seen as worthy of being the new L, being childish was something that was to be made fun of. Near never cared.

As he reached for his keys he briefly realized he'd locked Near inside the apartment when he stormed out he felt a little bad for it but quickly went back to his thoughts. '_It certainly wasn't for the position of L, even the stupid adults that ran that house would realize he was doing it on purpose._' Then again, that would not have convinced Mello either.

Once the door was open he was greeted with the sight of a Matt that was not only lacking a console in his hands we was also placing a baby blue and white cap on Near's head, while squealing over how cute he looked in jeans. Jeans? Did the sheep even own a pair of jeans?

"What the hell?"

Noticing his presence Near turned around, his face a mix of embarrassment and a desperate plea for help. Being the redhead's dress up doll sure sounded bad. Matt, in turn, started blabbering.

"Isn't he the cutest thing ever? I thought he'd look older, but he still looks twelve. We can pretend he's our kid..." With every silly thing Matt said, Near looked more horrified and twirled the hair under the cap more vigorously. Mello was too busy trying to figure out if this really was the albino they had rescued the day before or an alien replacement that would kill them in their sleep.

He stared, then he stared more, when he finally started taking in the scene before him he realized: Matt was right. Near was impossibly cute, he was wearing light blue jeans and a white T-shirt, it was very simple and the colors weren't too far from what he normally wore, but somehow they made all the difference. The boy didn't look so small inside clothes that weren't 3 sizes too big like his pajamas, though Mello would have preferred him without the cap… wait, what the hell was he having a preference on?

He could feel his cheeks heating up, he thought of going back out the front door but not having his coat with him made it so that was not an option. So he did what a teenage girl would, locked himself into his room.

The blonde hadn't really thought of what he'd do when time he saw Near again after leaving him crying, he just assumed he'd have his poker face back on within minutes so they could pretend it never happened, he could apologize for being an ass if anything. But running to his bedroom while blushing was definitely not what he had planned.

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><p>AN:

It was shorter than I would have liked, but it felt like the right point to end the chapter. I should be able to put another one up soon.

Thanks for reading.


	5. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

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><p>Mello ran the comb through his hair for the hundredth time that day, hoping it would somehow go back to the perfect bob it was before. It was the same everyday, he would only leave his bedroom after resigning to the fact that it wouldn't look right again for several months at least.<p>

He sighed grabbed a bar of chocolate and opened the door, wondering what to do for the rest of the day. They were making no progress in the Kira investigation, the fact that he was avoiding Near like the plague didn't help either. It was hard to talk to Matt when the albino spent most of the time in Matt's room… with Matt… and he was NOT jealous.

He tried to pass by Matt's door unnoticed like he'd done everyday since that incident with Near looking like a normal person. No such luck today though.

"Hey, Mello!" Crap.

"What?" He asked with a glare.

"Gee, that's no way to talk to your best friend, you know?"

Mello simply kept glaring. Not that he didn't agree, but couldn't the redhead see that he didn't want to be there?

"Whatever. Near and I have a plan to…"

"You turncoat! You've been discussing Kira with HIM!" He pointed towards Near for emphasis.

"Dude, you haven't shown your face to me in days. I wasn't going to sit here and wait for you."

He hated it when Matt was right, and that had been happening too often lately.

"What's your almighty plan then?" Mello said, walking into the room and sitting on the extra chair by the computers, scowling the whole time.

"Near thinks this guy" Matt opened a picture of Mikami "is currently doing the killings. Tailing him failed to prove anything and probably got the SPK killed so we're gonna try something else."

Mello looked towards Near, half afraid the boy would start crying again, but he was contently working on his Matt-puppet, seemingly unaffected. What did he expect? It was Near after all.

"And that is?"

"You and Near are going to break in to Mikami's apartment to install cameras there." Matt said proudly.

"Me and… him?" Mello glared at Matt "Why the hell do I need to take him along, I can handle that on my own." He felt like he was fourteen again, telling Roger that he couldn't work with Near and leaving. Except that he couldn't leave this time, not only was he a wanted criminal, Matt would never forgive him if he did that again.

"Mello does not have the patience to handle that on his own. Mikami is very particular about the way he organizes his possessions, if anything is even slightly out of place he will notice." The albino stated, finally looking up from his toys.

"And the damn sheep can't get there on his own, so you expect me to be his bodyguard." Matt was making him Near's bodyguard? Did it even cross his mind how humiliating that was for him? Or maybe it was he that had his priorities reversed all along, shouldn't catching Kira be more important than beating Near? Not like playing bodyguard once would mean defeat anyway.

"Hmpf, what do I have to do?"

"Here's the layout of Mikami's building, these are the areas covered by security cameras." Matt pointed at the areas painted in red "I'll be replacing the footage with dummies, but avoid getting caught as well just in case."

* * *

><p>Okay, get in, get out, don't get caught. Even if he had to drag the sheep along that would be easy.<p>

Said sheep was sitting behind him on his motorcycle, arms wrapped around him tight enough that he could barely breathe. He should have taken the car like Matt suggested, but he knew that was what Near wanted too, so he took the bike just for the sake of antagonizing the albino.

He thought it was an amazing plan, until Near started pressing his body so hard against his that he could feel the smaller boy's heartbeat against his back. The problem was that at the same time that made him feel guilty, it also made him want to run faster so he could get more of that sensation.

Mello parked the vehicle a few blocks away from Mikami's place, hidden behind some bushes so no one would see it. Near relaxed the moment they stopped moving, Mello took the chance to get off the bike, all too eager to get away from his conflicting emotions.

Near also got down, albeit more clumsily, and took his helmet off to start twirling his hair. He wore the same outfit Mello had seen him in a few days before, only with a white fluffy jacket on top. It made him even more adorable.

"Put this on, we don't need people staring at your hair" He passed Near a cap and a surgical mask, putting one on himself along with sunglasses.

They made their way to Mikami's apartment in silence. Mello was glad he could only see the brim of Near's cap from his height, it kept him from thinking of things he didn't want to think about.

"Matt, is it safe to go in yet?" The blonde asked through a small microphone when they were a few feet away from the first surveillance camera.

"Yep, everything's under my control." Smugness could be heard in the redhead's voice, he had reasons to feel smug though, his expertise with computers was unmatched.

Mello lead the fluffy albino through the building, making the use of the surveillance system's flaws as he could. Between his and Matt's efforts there would be no indication that anyone ever walked through those hallways that afternoon.

Picking a civilian apartment's lock was child's play, it was amazing Near couldn't do it. He probably figured there would always be someone to do it for him, and maybe he wasn't all that wrong.

Opening the door Mello was greeted with the sight of the smallest place he'd ever been in. He already found their two bedroom apartment too damn small, that anyone would willingly live in a studio apartment puzzled him to no end. Tiny as it was, the place still felt empty, with only a bed, a desk, a couple of bookshelves and a closet, everything so neatly organized that it didn't look like someone lived there. Keeping this exactly as it was indeed a task for Near.

Grey eyes scanned the room, memorizing every inch of it while deciding the best positions to install the cameras, hiding them wouldn't be easy given the sheer emptiness of the place. The desk had to be covered, it was obvious that it was the place Mikami realized most of his activities when he was home, there was nowhere else he could do it.

"We'll install one by the curtain rod and another under the desk, bugs will be placed in the kitchen and the bathroom." Mello wondered why Near even bothered telling him where things would be placed, subtlety had never been his forte so whatever the albino said would work was probably better than what he could say anyway.

Wide grey eyes stared up at him, did he expect some kind of approval?

"Yeah, yeah, let's just get done with this."

Looking satisfied, the younger boy started moving towards the curtains. He pushed the chair that was by the desk to the window so he could reach the spot. After taking his shoes off he climbed the chair, nearly losing his balance when he the chair moved a little, it had wheels after all. Mello rushed to hold it in place. Telling himself it was only for the sake of getting the job done, having Near fall and break something would mess up the whole plan, he absolutely wasn't worried about Near getting hurt.

Once the albino was done there was no way one would notice the camera unless they were looking for it. He placed another one under the desk pointing towards the door, so it'd be easy to tell if someone came in. The bugs were much easier to place, they were smaller and didn't have the restriction of having to point anywhere specifically.

Near was putting every item in the house back where it originally was with machine like precision when the warning came:

"Oh no." They heard Matt say through the ear piece they wore for communication. "Mikami's back!"

"What? He's three fucking hours early! Wasn't the bastard supposed to be obsessed with routine?"

"He's running upstairs, there's no time to get out, just hide! Quickly!"

Mello looked down at a terrified Near, the albino was terrible at dealing with unplanned circumstances. He grabbed the smaller boy by the wrist, scanning the room for a place to hide. If he were alone he could easily escape through the window, but there was no way Near could do that, so he settled for hiding under the bed, there was nowhere else a person could hide in this small, empty place.

He shoved the albino down until he was touching the wall, it was a single bed so unless they hid as close to the wall as they could they'd be seen the moment Mikami opened the door.

Only when the prosecutor opened the door it occurred to him that the most likely reason he came home early, running at that, was that he somehow knew they were there. He tightened his grip on Near's wrist in his anxiety, making the boy wince.

His worries were unfounded, however, as Mikami ran straight into the bathroom, not bothering to close the door.

"Matt?" He whispered. "Can you hear anything?"

"Hmm… yeah, I can hear the most…interesting sounds coming from the bathroom bug. Wanna hear them?"

Unfortunately, Mello could hear them too, all too well. "Pass…"

"Sounds like food poisoning to me, whatcha think?"

The redhead was clearly having fun with the situation, killing him was quite tempting, if only he weren't so far away.

"Fuck you!" A whispered _fuck you_ just didn't have the same impact, but it was all Mello could risk right now.

"Any chance you guys can sneak out?"

"No, the bastard never closed the bathroom door…" The blonde whispered, twisting his face in disgust.

"Eh, I'll be here, call me when you get the chance to escape."

Mello sighed, what were the chances that a person would go out in that state? He might have to hide there until tomorrow... with Near. He blushed when he finally remembered the boy sandwiched between him and the wall, it was a rather suspicious position to be in.

He loosened the grip on Near's wrist, the albino relaxed at that, it must have been really uncomfortable. He could feel the smaller boy's accelerated heartbeat against him for the second time that day.

"Scared?" He whispered.

Near tried to reach for his hair, but Mello still wouldn't let go of his wrist.

"We shouldn't be talking." Right, Near never, ever, gave him a straight answer. He would normally want to hit him for that, but it was obvious that Near was scared, so he felt like beating Mikami up instead.

* * *

><p>Hours passed, the prosecutor spent the rest of the day between lying in bed and rushing to the bathroom. It was pretty sad to watch. Not that Mello felt sorry for him, couldn't the asshole have picked a better day to eat bad food?<p>

In the meantime he'd taken to observing the albino. The white top of his head was a little sweaty from the heat, Mikami had turned the heater on when he got there, but they hadn't had the opportunity to remove their coats, though Near did take his cap off in an attempt to cool down. Mello couldn't help noticing how the coat Matt had picked was perfectly suited for him: white and fluffy like his hair.

The albino glanced up, quickly looking away once he noticed he was being observed. He tried to twirl his hair with little success, unused to it being sticky from sweat his fingers kept getting stuck to the locks. It was adorable to watch.

Mello was more than glad his face was hidden, and not because of the murderer lying above them. He couldn't imagine what kind of expression he had, he hadn't found something to be adorable in a long time. Adjusting his position he had to fight the urge to wrap his arms around the smaller boy, he was so much more huggable when scared.

Lately, rather than trying to get feelings out of the albino, the blonde simply tried to keep their contact as unemotional as possible, a Near with feelings was someone wanted to protect, not defeat. That went against everything he worked his whole life for, so he chose to pretend he still thought Near was a robot, but in situations like this it was impossible to do.

He tried not to think too much, or the heat and sweat between them would lead his mind to places that were less than appropriate. He would NOT think of Near that way.

* * *

><p>Morning came quickly for Near, they'd had the privilege of listening to Mikami's nightly "deletion" ritual which would have been creepy if not for the constant interruptions by food poisoning.<p>

After that it really hadn't been so bad, the prosecutor fell asleep almost as soon as he was done, so they didn't have to be as close: there was no one to see them anymore. While being close wasn't necessarily unpleasant, Near wasn't used to physical contact, and being squished against a wall, under a bed, while sweating from the heat made it hard to breath.

Mello had been incredibly considerate, he was sure the blonde could have climbed out through the window easily, it was only the second floor after all, yet he stayed without even cussing Near's brains off. He smiled a little at the thought.

The prosecutor was finally going out again, 7:45am, exactly as Gevanni had said. Mello started dragging himself away the moment they heard the door shut, Near would have felt offended if he didn't need the space just as direly. He was hungry, thirsty, sweaty and just in an overall sad state.

"Matt?"

"Hun? Oh, right, you need cover to get out right?" The redhead replied sleepily. Probably the only one who had got any sleep last night.

"Yeah, yeah, do it quickly." Mello said dryly. He wasn't the sweetest person on a good day, after a rough night he would certainly be willing to kill at the drop of a hat.

"It's done boss."

Near was led through the hallways of the building and out, Mello held his hand the whole way back to the bushes the bike was hidden in. The younger boy wasn't looking forward for another ride, the blonde drove like a madman, even though the events from the night before at least made him confident that he wouldn't be thrown off the vehicle intentionally.

He held himself tightly against the familiar body, expecting the same speed he had experienced before. Instead, the bike moved just fast enough that he could feel a gentle breeze through the sleeves of his coat. He could almost fall asleep that way.


End file.
